


Half-Life: Borealis

by ReleaseMe



Category: Half-Life
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-10
Updated: 2020-12-11
Packaged: 2021-03-10 16:54:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,597
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28000482
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ReleaseMe/pseuds/ReleaseMe
Summary: This is what I imagine Half-life 3 would be. Gordon Freeman must venture through dangerous territories and face the evils of the combine once more in order to get to the fabled Borealis! Will he use what's there? Or destroy it completely?
Kudos: 1





	Half-Life: Borealis

Bright red flashes filled the corridors as the alarms blared outside. Just behind Gordon Freeman, Eli Vance limped through the hall heavily to one side of his center of gravity. “Attention! Attention!” Came the voice of Dr. Kleiner over the intercom. “This is not a drill! We are under attack! Advisors have come flooding into the grounds!” Gordon looked back at Eli, who was murmuring to himself the entire time. She was gone, that's what he was saying. Although coupled with the intense blaring of the alarm system, it didn’t sound like anything more than a soft whisper. Both of them ascended a flight of stairs, getting nearer and nearer to Kleiner and Magnusson. All around them, rebels and refugees were sprinting down corridors. Some armed with machine guns, others with only pistols, and some with fully loaded rocket launchers. 

“The advisor will try to armor itself to the best of its abilities!” Magnusson was suddenly shouting into the intercom. 

“Arne please!” Gordon heard Kleiner saying in the background. “Perhaps we should let me make the announcement, as to not cause-”

“THIS MUST NOT HAPPEN!” Magnusson was half-screaming into the microphone. Gordon could almost feel his spit sputtering out of the speaker and sending flecks down on his face. “They are weak without their telekinetic abilities! Make sure to keep your distance!” 

“Arne GIVE ME THAT MICROPHONE!” Kleiners argument with Magnusson was ringing throughout the base when Gordon and Eli emerged into the sunlight, windows passing on either side of them. Out of the corner of his eye Gordon glimpsed a sight of the advisors rushing around. 

“Gordon! Gordon!” Eli suddenly said, gripping Gordon amidst the chaos and pulling him to the side once the windows receded a bit. “Listen to me-” He was cut off by a large rumble that emanated through the entire building. “Our mutual friend has to be stopped… it should have been me, Gordon! It should have been me…” Looking confused, Eli trailed off. His brow was knitted together and he looked deep in thought. Suddenly, however, he shook it off. “He’ll see it coming, Gordon. He knows, I don’t know how! Let me deal with him, okay? I’ll get Alyx back. You focus on the Borealis, once we’ve dealt with this advisor problem, anyway” Gordon nodded. 

“LOOK OUT!” A rebel in the hall said, and the corpse of another rebel was thrown through the window, shattering it on impact and sending shards of glass flying into their face. Gordon’s face darkened with determinism, and he produced his rocket launcher from the HEV suits inventory. 

“Gordon!” Eli called after him. But before he knew it himself, Gordon was sprinting to the hole in the glass. With quick reflexes, he swung around, pointing his RPG out the window. There it was, he could just see the advisor just in front of him. “Gordon no!” But before he knew what was happening, the RPG had flown out of his hand and was tossed lazily aside.   
“Shit” Was all Gordon could say before he grabbed the rebel and started to run with her. The hallway started to contract, no doubt the advisors were crushing it to smash them to bits. Gordon and the rebel had just barely enough time to jump through as the hallway compacted itself into a small metal strip. “Are you okay?” Gordon said to the rebel. 

“Yeah” She said confidently, straightening herself and then continuing to run. 

“Always the man of the hour” Eli said with a soft and deep chuckle. “Come on, Gordon we have to get to Kleiner and Magnusson, quick!” They ascended the stairs quickly, another lurching rumble sending them tumbling. Eli nearly fell over if it hadn’t been for Gordon catching him. Me murmured his thanks, and they both burst through the door of the control room Gordon had been in not minutes ago. 

“... I don’t know, Magnusson! It was the strangest thin- Gordon! Eli! Oh, thank goodness!” Kleiner stopped his conversation with Magnusson quite abruptly at the sight of Gordon Freeman and Eli Vance. “Eli, what happened there?” Kleiner strode across the room to check some reports feeding out of a machine. “There was a spark of energy just a few minutes ago, the radiation levels were off the charts! It was entirely concentrated in that room you were in!”

“Not now, Kleiner,” Eli said, giving Dr. Kleiner a look. “We have more pressing matters to attend to” 

“Oh… yes, yes of course” Kleiner looked over at Magnusson, who simply looked confused. “There’s really no time. The advisors will tear this building piece by piece the minute they get the chance. They have to be stopped!”

“How on earth are we going to stop those things-” Eli started, but as if he knew this was coming, Dr. Magnusson stepped in to offer his opinions.

“The Magnusson Device is the obvious candidate for the destruction of the advisors” He said, not letting anyone answer and not even pausing for a breath, holding a triumphant finger in the air. “We saw what they did with the striders, it’s more than capable. The only problem is the telekinetic powers. He must only fire at the Advisor if they are completely distracted”

“Three guesses who he is” Gordon murmured under his breath. Magnusson shot him a patronizing glare, and continued.

“Oh, well I suppose you expected me to take the zero point energy field manipulator and go pelting Magnusson Devices at the advisors while you lounge away on a fold-out chair with a cup of ice cold lemonade?!” He grunted out. Gordon said nothing at this. “You made quick work of the striders, Gordon. I have complete faith in you…” Magnusson seemed to mumble this last part, as if he didn’t even want Gordon to hear. “You can use the stations that have already been set up in retaliation against the advisors. Now go, Gordon! There really is no time!” He said this as another massive rumble shook the base. Gordon pulled out the gravity gun, and sighed. His work was never over. 

“Good luck to you, Gordon. We will do all we can here” Kleiner said. Gordon Freeman nodded toward Isaac Kleiner and rushed outside. He followed a crowd of rebels making their way toward the mayhem. 

“Gordon Freeman… about time!” Said one of the rebels as he began to run with them. “There’s advisors everywhere. Well… there are only about four but still they do a lot of damage as it is, doc! And who knows how many of them are on their way”

“Let’s find one,” Gordon said, holding the gravity gun tightly in his grip. “And I want everyone to distract it as best as you can. Hide behind things if you can, they can pick you up with ease” All of them stopped at a massive hole that had been created in the wall. The corpses of rebels were scattered across the scene. The sounds of explosions and bullets were heard emanating throughout the place. Gordon held up the gravity gun and ran toward the nearest delivery point, picking up a magnusson device. With the half a dozen rebels behind him, Gordon ran for the nearest advisor he could see. It had made a makeshift shield, scraps of metal and wood orbiting around it. “Let’s do this,” Gordon said, and the assault started. Rebels began to fire at the advisor. It whipped around, looking down at them all. “Get rid of the shield!” Gordon screamed, and they began to focus their fire on the metal and wood around the advisor. Gordon saw it, the opening in the advisor's defensive “shield”. He fired, the Magnusson device soared through the air and embedded itself onto the advisor's skin.

“Freeeeeeeeeeemaaaaaaaaaaaaan…” A voice suddenly rasped in Gordon’s head. His mind was suddenly wracked with visions. First it was Nihilanth, then it was the mutual friend he shared with Eli, a nasty grin on his face. After that, Wallace Breen, staring down at him with disappointment. 

“Take the shot, Gordon!” The faint voice of a rebel shouted toward him. It was too late when he came back to reality. The advisor was looking right at him. In a split second he was thrown into the air. Gordon put away the gravity gun and searched himself for his pistol as it brought him further and further into the air. 

“Freeeeeeemaaaaaaan” He heard again as he pulled out his pistol. And his mind was showered with more images, too many to count or focus on. There was Breen again, smiling and disappearing into the darkness, then there was a strider, looking down upon him to fire. Finally, he saw Alyx Vance, encased in a prison of blue energy, motionless and unconscious. Freeman shot his pistol… the advisor exploded just as it tossed him away like a ragdoll. Freeman soared through the air as he watched the bits and pieces of the creature fall onto unsuspecting rebels. He had no time to think before he collided with the roof of a building, smashing into the ground below.   
Warning, extreme momentum, and blunt-force trauma sustained, morphine administered. His HEV suit crackled to life in his ears. Gordon pulled himself up slowly and groaned. The morphine shot into his system and he felt a little better, at least. There were still three to take care of. Freeman rubbed his head, it was searing with pain. Were the advisors giving him these visions? Or was it something else? That would have to be answered later, there were more pressing matters at hand. He picked up the gravity gun and started to make his way for the exit. 

“Freeman? Jesus, man, are you alright?” A rebel said to him and he waved nonchalantly as he went over to the first delivery point he could see and picked up another magnusson device. 

“We have to… kill the advisors” Freeman breathed out as he straightened himself up. “Distract them the best that you can” Freeman looked over and watched as two advisors picked up an entire building and threw it across the hilled landscape. “Don’t let them destroy the helicopter!” Flagging down a few more rebels, they all sprinted towards the nearest advisor. Gordon was carrying the Magnusson Device as if it were an egg on a spoon. He was at the same time barreling down a small alleyway. 

“NO! NO! UNHAND ME YOU BEAST!” Gordon heard the familiar voice of Doctor Magnusson saying. With horror, as he rounded the corner, he realized where the advisors were headed. The glass of the control room had been shattered. There was no sign of Eli or Kleiner as an advisor lifted Magnusson up from the wreckage. He was squirming and struggling. “GORDON! WHEREVER YOU ARE I AM NEED OF IMMEDIATE ASSISTANCE” Gordon aimed, it was very far away from where he was. He would have to make this count. He had only seconds before it threw him away. When he fired, and the Magnusson device lulled lazily through the air and smashed into the advisor, it threw Magnusson away to look at freeman. He took his pistol out, and shot. The beasts makeshift shield ruptured, sending shrapnel scattering in all directions. They hit the advisor just next to it, which let out a wail as it bled onto the ground below and slowly fell to the ground. 

“They’re strong in mind… but weak in body” A rebel said. But Freeman wasn’t listening, he was running towards where Dr. Magnusson had fallen. He had to push through a pile of debris to get to him, as his arm was shoved between a large piece of metal and the ground. Gordon’s ears were filled with his cries of anguish as he tried to wrench his arm free. 

“Stop” Gordon said softly as he used the gravity gun to pull the shard off of him. As Magnusson pulled his limp arm back towards him, Gordon inhaled sharply. “That doesn’t look good” 

“O-of course not you-'' But Magnusson stopped as he was about to insult Freeman. “Erm…” He trailed off before he could finally find his voice. “I appreciate all you’ve done, Freeman. I really do… I know I can be a little bit… what should I say… terse. But-”  
There was another rumble. Freeman looked behind him, and there he saw another Advisor. “Shit” he said under his breath. But before he could set off toward it, he heard an electronic cry ring out amidst the commotion. And then he saw Dog jumping up to meet the advisor head on. It had no time to react as Dog gripped it’s strangely constructed face and started to pull down, blasting it in the face with it’s own field manipulator. The advisor thrashed about and screamed, wailing and crying. But Dog was relentless, punching and kicking at it, leaving holes and impressions in its armor and skin. Finally, after a long struggle, the last advisor fell with Dog riding its back as if it were a horse. It landed on the ground with a thud, but Gordon knew Dog would be alright. Dog had survived much worse. He turned back to Magnusson, who had started talking again after the advisor fell. Something about the control room being destroyed and how they would have to start from the ground up. 

“Where are Kleiner and Eli?” Gordon interrupted quickly. He was half listening to Magnusson’s speech. “Are they okay?” 

“Yes, yes. The bastard grabbed me just before I could get away” Magnusson sighed and winced as he tried to touch his arm. “I should really get to the infirmary, Gordon. Would you mind helping me out?” He shakily stood up and Gordon took his good arm and threw it over his shoulder. “More than ever, you have to get to the borealis now, Gordon” Magnusson said as they made their way across the field of debris. Many rebels were reeling from what had just happened. Some were mourning the loss of fallen comrades, others were tending to their own wounds. Bodies were littering the battle ground. “What a sight” Magnusson mumbled under his breath. “Good job with those Magnusson Devices, by the way, as always. Though a more prompt arrival would have been appreciated” Gordon said nothing, he just grunted his approval. He knew there was no real reason in arguing with Magnusson. “So… about the microwave casserole…” He trailed off. Freeman raised his eyebrows at him. “I suppose it would be prudent to… to forgive you, Freeman. Good work” 

They had reached the infirmary, which had taken a beating. Chunks had been ripped out of some of the walls and ceiling. Sunlight was streaming through. Many rebels were here now, having sustained many wounds from shrapnel, bullets, debris, you name it. A medic came up to them and took Magnusson off Freeman’s hands. “Find Kleiner and Eli. No doubt they’re waiting for you by the helicopter” He called toward Freeman. Gordon nodded, and turned to walk out of the infirmary and toward a half destroyed hall. “What?! What do you mean: ‘he could lose his arm’?!” Magnusson had started shouting at the medics. Gordon sighed, putting away the gravity gun and making his way through the base. 

It was really a sight to behold. Not ten minutes ago, the collection of buildings and walls that had made up one of the safest places for the rebel forces were all intact. Now… it was a hellscape, a warzone. It looked as if a nuclear bomb had gone off. The pain he had felt from that major fall was subsiding now as he made his way through a clearing where a building used to be, and toward the room he once thought everything was going to be okay in. He was just about to board the helicopter to the borealis, just about to end the combine’s oppressive regime forever. Alyx was with him, everything was alright. But something had gone wrong. What happened? Where had Alyx gone? This was not adding up to Freeman. Obviously it had something to do with the mutual friend, but it was always much more complicated with him. Dreading what was to come, Freeman finally made his way to the warehouse he was just in fifteen minutes ago. 

“Freeman! Made quick work of those advisors, eh?” Eli said to him as he entered. 

“Yes, nothing is above Gordon Freeman, it seems!” Kleiner said with a triumphant chuckle. “But we must make haste now, Gordon. The combine will no doubt be heading to the Borealis, if they aren’t there already…” Kleiner trailed off at this thought and just stared for a minute. “Nevertheless! We must make an effort” 

“Gordon knows what he’s doing” Eli limped over and clapped a hand on Gordon’s back. “Remember what we talked about, Gordon” Eli murmured under his breath. “It must be destroyed… Now! Coordinates are in place! One of the rebel pilots will do the rest” Gordon nodded, he suddenly felt nervous leaving all of this behind again. There was a real possibility he would never return, or that he would return to find that all of these people had died. He climbed into the helicopter just as Dog came through the hole in the ceiling. “No! No! Dog!” Eli said. “You’re too heavy! Besides, we need your help here.”

“Safe travels, Gordon!” Kleiner said, and Eli waved as the doors to the helicopter shut. Gordon let out a sight and walked over to the controls.

“Hey, doc” Said the pilot in the driver's seat, turning on the helicopter. “Made short work of those advisors, eh? Can finally get out of here” The blades of the machine started to whir to life. Gordon looked out of the window, for what might have been the last time, at Eli and Kleiner. Finally the helicopters blades started to beat at the wind, making loud chopping sounds that were just barely audible in the interior. Freeman took a seat, and sighed. It had been a long day already. “What was the citadel like?” The rebel was clearly trying to make conversation. He had obviously been thinking about something to say. Gordon didn’t know if this was a bad thing or a good thing. 

“It was…” He started, grasping for something to say. Something short, terse, something that could get him out of this conversation. “... High” He finally said. The rebel didn’t say anything for a moment after this. 

“Was a crazy place, City 17” The rebel pilot said. “I got out of there as soon as I could, of course. Made my way through the canals” 

“Hm” Gordon didn’t feel much like conversation right now. When did he ever though? He was pretty good at just shutting up and doing what needed to be done. They flew for about a half an hour like this.   
“We’re going to land in a small clearing near the Borealis” The rebel went on after that long brick of silence. “I say near, it’s actually about an hour or so hike from it. But we can’t risk getting detected by the combine” Gordon nodded, staring out the window and watching the prairies and forests zip past. They all seemed to blur together, making a soup of the world below. Freeman repositioned himself against the wall of the helicopter, and decided to get some rest. His eyes were heavy, and snapped shut almost instantly. And sleep took him quickly afterward. 

“Freeeeeemaaaaaaan…” The same voice that he heard during the advisor attack. All he could see was a dark void, until soft footsteps, coming ever closer, started to echo around the room. “Gordon Freeman” The stranger said, coming ever closer. Gordon assumed that the owner of the voice was the same owner of the echoed steps. “If only we were meeting under better circumstances, Gordon Freeman” The stranger went on. Gordon found himself unable to speak in this state of paralysis. Into the light, the familiar face came. He straightened his tie, gripped his suitcase close to his thigh, and smiled a wicked grin at Gordon. “Your vigilant quests are futile, Mr. Freeman” The man said. “Your friend, Alyx Vance, is in a prison of her own creation” Gordon watched as scenes of his adventures with Alex flew past, and then a still of her encased in the prison of energy again. “For now, he is hibernating, awaiting a time in which I will need to call on her for assistance” The man straightened his tie again, his wicked grin had morphed into a sly smirk. “But… I’m afraid that my need for your assistance, Mr. Freeman, is at an end. You have ceased to amuse me, and your little escapades are growing more and more dangerous, dare I say: cataclysmic, by the minute. So, Mr. Freeman, I must take it upon myself to interfere with these childish and futile ventures. Good evening” With that, he straightened his tie, and walked back into the void. 

Freeman’s eyes snapped open, the sounds of alarms and beeps blared into his ears. Quickly, he tore from his seat and into the control room of the helicopter. “We’ve been hit, Doc!” The rebel said, jabbing at the controls and attempting to steer the joystick. “It won’t budge! We’re gonna crash! Take evasive action!” Freeman bit his lip, sweating profusely and looking at all the controls. In his delirious state, just being woken up from a nightmare of sorts, he could not think properly. All he could see was the rebel diving into the cabin, and the ground quickly rising to meet him.


End file.
